Dual Fresh Water Pump Advise

Shoyrtt

Alamitos to Avalon
SILVER Sponsor
Jul 16, 2020
1,887
Alamitos Bay, CA
Boat Info
1999 450 Express Bridge, 9’ Achilles dinghy w/15hp Suzuki EFI
Engines
Caterpillar 3126TA
I noticed recently that one of my fresh water pumps (#1) was not making any sound pressurizing the system when I turned it on at the panel. I checked it at the pump with my meter and there is power to it. The Shur Flo pump was original to the boat built in 1998.
sea ray pump.jpg


I made a quick call to Pentair/Sur Flo and confirmed they no longer make this pump. The replacement is the "Aqua King II" (part # 4138-111-E65) which seems to have some less than stellar reviews, with pressure switch failures after a year or so.
First question, looking at the water lines, the pumps work in tandem correct? Next, is the old pump rebuildable? Should I hang on to it if I can repair it as a spare? Any other fun advice for this repair/replacement? Thank you in advance.
Jim
 
Not familiar with a "dual" fresh water setup.

My take is you could replace this existing pump with a different brand as long as you pay close attention to the power (GPM) of the old pump. My opinion is you would not want to increase to a stronger pump since that would put more pressure on plumbing that is not new.

If you find a pump shop - we have Depco in Florida, they might be able to rebuild. Fresh water pumps are not that expensive in the grand scheme of boating. I would put a new in, trash the old one.
 
You're correct, the pumps work together to try and maintain consistent pressure and flow. The comment about being careful with putting too much pressure through is fair, however these pumps aren't even close to overtaxing the plastic fittings throughout the boat. I doubt they're at even 1/4 of their rated psi.
 
If there is no power to the pump, why not look for the power problem before replacing the pump?
There is power to it. I wrote "I checked it at the pump with my meter and there is power to it."
 
You're correct, the pumps work together to try and maintain consistent pressure and flow. The comment about being careful with putting too much pressure through is fair, however these pumps aren't even close to overtaxing the plastic fittings throughout the boat. I doubt they're at even 1/4 of their rated psi.
The OG pumps are rated at 45psi and the new replacement is rated at 50 psi. The tech I spoke to at Pentair/Shur Flo claimed it was a plug-n-play with the old unit.
 
I have the duel pumps system and i only leave one turned on. I turn the 2nd one on when we're using the transom shower or the anchor locker hose. IMO, it has more to do with volume ( length of line ) than pressure. I'm no expert but that's what works for us. Use just one until the 2nd is needed. ( if you can turn off one )
 
I have the duel pumps system and i only leave one turned on. I turn the 2nd one on when we're using the transom shower or the anchor locker hose. IMO, it has more to do with volume ( length of line ) than pressure. I'm no expert but that's what works for us. Use just one until the 2nd is needed. ( if you can turn off one )
Thanks Harry. When I only have pump #1 on, I have no water pressure at all, anywhere in the boat. The pump makes no sound and again I tested it for power. When I turn on pump #2 (with pump #1 off), I can see and hear it power up to pressurize the lines and I get water everywhere with no issues. When pump #2 is on, turning pump #1 has no affect on pressure or flow whatsoever. I think pump #1 is dead after nearly 23 years.
 
I replace both my pumps last year as they were starting to have pressure and priming issues. I now have the Shurflow. They seem to work fine. The screws fit the same holes and the shark bites lin d up. It really was a plug and play.
 
I replace both my pumps last year as they were starting to have pressure and priming issues. I now have the Shurflow. They seem to work fine. The screws fit the same holes and the shark bites lin d up. It really was a plug and play.
That is great advice! I was hoping it would be plug and play. The new pump was available on Amazon Prime next day so I should have it tomorrow. I think I'll order a second one and keep the old pump #2 as a spare.
 
I got the new pumps in this weekend. Just as reported, they are true plug-n-play replacements. They also make slightly less noise than the originals.
C1C13C9E-4531-4404-AD9E-99838129F9CF.png
 
I got the new pumps in this weekend. Just as reported, they are true plug-n-play replacements. They also make slightly less noise than the originals.
View attachment 100829
Those are some interesting mounts on tubing? I am guessing that is for noise? Are they though-bolted on the pipe?
 
Those are some interesting mounts on tubing? I am guessing that is for noise? Are they though-bolted on the pipe?
My 2000-380 is the same way. Not sure if it through bolted or not. Guessing it would be better not so that the tubing acts like a vibration dampener.
 
The replacement is the "Aqua King II" (part # 4138-111-E65) which seems to have some less than stellar reviews, with pressure switch failures after a year or so.
I have had this failure problem ...it’s actually a cold solder problem on the pressure switch...it’s an easy diy fix. No idea why they didn’t catch it other then their pump sales went up
 
Those are some interesting mounts on tubing? I am guessing that is for noise? Are they though-bolted on the pipe?
I thought the tubing was a Sea Ray fitted piece. My guess is they are for sound purposes. The macerator/discharge pump is mounted the same way on the bilge floor. The pump is not thru bolted to fire wall. The tubing is notched on each end and bolted to the fire wall with the pump bracket bolted to the center of the full piece of tube. I hope I described that accurately.
20930F98-1CBA-4C7F-A258-CC0AC658815C.png
 
I have had this failure problem ...it’s actually a cold solder problem on the pressure switch...it’s an easy diy fix. No idea why they didn’t catch it other then their pump sales went up
Thank you for the advice. I kept the good original pump as a spare but it is good to know the fix for the new pumps is easy.
 
I thought the tubing was a Sea Ray fitted piece. My guess is they are for sound purposes. The macerator/discharge pump is mounted the same way on the bilge floor. The pump is not thru bolted to fire wall. The tubing is notched on each end and bolted to the fire wall with the pump bracket bolted to the center of the full piece of tube. I hope I described that accurately.
View attachment 100839
You are correct - Sea Ray did that and, yes, for sound purposes. I think whether they use it or not, depends on what the pump is mounted to. For example, if the mounting surface is something that will resonate or echo. When I replaced my engine room blower (initially mounted hard), I added the tubing and it made a noticeable difference in sound.
 
My dual pumps are wired in parallel with individual switches. So we normally run on one, and each year, I switch to the other one. Our flow is fine with one pump...
 
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Hmm, interesting, glad you got it fixed. I usually turn both on. Maybe some experimentation is in order on my part. Just for grins...
 
Dual pump setup here as well. I added a switch to be able to select one pump or the other. One pump was the original Shur Flo and the other had been upgraded to a Marco Electronic pump. Problem was Marco pump could supply the needed pressure and flow, the Shur Flo simply kicked on then immediately shut down. Hence the switch install. Came in handy last week when the Marco gave up. Flip the switch, order new pump. Trying to keep life simple
 

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